Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy is calling for white Christians to repent of their racism against their black brothers and sisters while fighting for their rights.

The Christian Post reported that Cathy, alongside Megachurch Pastor Louie Giglio and rapper Lecrae discussed the issue of racism in America following the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks by white police officers.

“I think we have to recognize we are in a very special moment right now that the answer is not just for this to go off the radar screen, go back to talking about COVID-19, to talk about world peace, the environment, … politics is going to be coming up here this fall,” Cathy said on Sunday at Passion City Church in Atlanta.

“I believe if we miss this moment, we would have failed in our generation,” he cautioned.

Then Lecrae chimed in on his own personal experience of racial injustice at Cathy’s request.

“I don’t need the media to tell me that this is a problem because it’s a reality that I live,” Lecrae began.

The rapper noted how a police officer pulled a gun on him at 13, and how he was falsely placed on a gang list by police for skipping school at 14.

Lecrae also recounted other incidents with law enforcement, including being pulled over by police officers for no reason.

One recent incident, in particular, had police officers stop and search Lecrae’s rental car while he was driving…

Several petitions by Christian organizations are urging for the cancellation of a controversial film that blasphemes Jesus Christ.

CBN News reported that the independent movie called “Habit” will feature 22-year-old Paris Jackson, the daughter of the late king of pop, Michael Jackson.

Jackson, who is bisexual in real life, will be playing Jesus who would be portrayed as a lesbian who indulges in carnality with another woman.

E-Online stated that Habit follows a “party girl with a Jesus fetish who gets mixed up in a violent drug deal and finds a possible way out by masquerading as a nun.”

Jackson’s physical portrayal of Jesus also features a nose ring, tousled waves and a traditional robe.

While the film has no official release date, a petition was made in order to stop the film’s release by Movieguide, a non-profit that seeks to restore Christian values to the entertainment industry.

Movieguide argued that the “Habits” release would cause confusion and mislead children and new Christians from the biblical Jesus.

Movieguide also noted that the film lacks the support of a distributor, hence the lack of a release date.

The petition entitled, “STOP HOLLYWOODS ATTACK ON JESUS” already has 100,000 signatures with a goal of 150,000, alongside donations.

“Hollywood is back at it again!” the petition starts. “This time they’re attacking the historical and…

Moody Bible Institute president Mark Jobe, along with other school leaders, has apologized for past yearbook photos that showed white students in blackface.

“Regardless of when these photos were taken, or what the intent of the students was at that time, these pictures are shocking and deeply offensive. As senior leadership of Moody Bible Institute, we come together in this letter to deeply apologize for these photos and the underlying ignorance and the racist foundation blackface represents,” Jobe wrote of the 1974 and 1984 yearbook photos, Christianity Today reports.

“This behavior absolutely does not reflect how we envision our Moody community, which is grounded in God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ,” the statement said. “It also undermines the advancements we have made together in the area of diversity.”

Earlier in June, Jobe asked for nationwide prayers in response to the killing of George Floyd. He is working with provost Dwight Perry, author of Breaking Down Barriers: A Black Evangelical Explains the Black Church, to review the school’s history on racial issues.

“I am most discouraged, personally, not so much by the violence I see outside, even though I am very discouraged about that,” Perry said in a video of Moody leaders discussing race. “I am most discouraged by once again the lack of the evangelical church, which I…

As the nation continues to protest and debate racial reconciliation and police reform, megachurch pastor Greg Laurie and Republican Senator Tim Scott sat down to an honest conversation on how the country can move forward, as reported by Faithwire.

Sen. Scott, a black Christian from South Carolina, has pushed forward the GOP’s policing reform policies in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The proposal, which was released on Wednesday, would restrict chokeholds and enhance a use-of-force database. Sen. Scott encouraged “character-driven law enforcement.”

“I can be pro-law enforcement and pro-communities of color. You can be both,” said Scott. “God is not colorblind. He actually loves diversity. He embraces diversity, and we should too, and we should treat each other according to Matthew 22, verse 39. We should treat each other as we would want to be treated.”

Laurie, who recorded the conversation for his congregation at Harvest churches, agreed.

“I believe God has established law enforcement. I believe racism is a real problem in our country. And I think we need to talk about it. And I don’t know why you have to be in one camp or the other,” he said.

In recent days, Scott has been candid on the struggles law enforcement has caused him. He was asked by Capitol Hill police to show his ID despite wearing a Senate pin and pulled over by police seven…

(RNS) — The Washington National Cathedral announced a 15% reduction in full-time staff on Tuesday (June 16) due to the financial impact of coronavirus. Starting July 1, the cathedral — located in Washington, D.C. — will eliminate 13 full-time positions and 13 part-time ones and will furlough another 12 full-time positions.

The cathedral’s doors have been closed since March 12, preventing tourists and worshippers from visiting during what is usually the 113-year-old neo-Gothic landmark’s busiest time of year. In an email to Religion News Service, Chief Communications Officer Kevin Eckstrom said that while donor support has remained strong despite holding only online services, the cathedral has been unable to rent its buildings and grounds for events, which normally helps underwrite operations.

Supporters of the cathedral, an Episcopal parish as well as the seat of the church’s bishop of Washington, can still contribute to Sunday morning offerings virtually, and the cathedral has expanded the ways people can give, but these contributions haven’t been able to compensate for the lack of funding available during the cathedral’s closure.

The historic Washington National Cathedral’s governing foundation was chartered by Congress as a house of prayer for all people where the country gathers during moments of national significance and for state funerals. But it receives no…

(RNS) — Religious conservatives lost the culture war over gay and transgender rights in the workplace this week.

In a 6-3 ruling Monday (June 15), the Supreme Court said the rights of gay and transgender people are protected from workplace discrimination. The ruling was a defeat to religious conservatives who have been waging a decades-long battle to hold on to traditional definitions of sexuality.

Worse yet, two conservative justices — Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the opinion, and Chief Justice John Roberts, who joined him – played a key role in the ruling.

The reaction was swift and it was harsh. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called it “an injustice.” James Dobson, an evangelical social commentator, said it was “an affront to God.”

But others have turned their focus to other pending Supreme Court rulings on religious liberty this term, where they still hope to carve out significant wins.

Chief among them are two cases — Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel — that involve a “ministerial exemption” to civil rights protections such as the one in Monday’s ruling, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Right Act.

The ministerial exception is a legal doctrine arising from the First Amendment that bars the government from interfering with religious institutions’…

President Trump on Tuesday met with families of black individuals who have died from police violence and then signed an executive order banning most chokeholds while establishing a database to track police officers who have used excessive force.

“Your loved ones will not have died in vain,” Trump said in a Rose Garden speech.

Trump stood alongside law enforcement officials at the speech and said reform is needed yet criticized efforts to defund the police. Prior to the speech, he met with the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Antwon Rose, Atatiana Jefferson, Michael Dean, Darius Tarver, Cameron Lamb and Everett Palmer.

“Many of these families lost their loved ones in deadly interactions with police,” Trump said. “To all the hurting families I want you to know [that] all Americans mourn by your side.”

Americans, he said, want to support police but also “believe we must improve accountability, increase transparency, and invest more resources in police training, recruiting and community engagement.”

“Today is about pursuing common sense and fighting for a cause like we seldom get the chance to fight for,” Trump said. “We have to find common ground. But I strongly oppose the radical and dangerous efforts to defend, dismantle and dissolve our police departments.”

“… Without police, there is chaos.Without law, there is anarchy,” Trump said….